The epicentre was about 9 km south-southwest of the village of Chobari in Bhachau Taluka of Kutch district in Gujarat, India.

[4] The intraplate earthquake measured 7.6 on the moment magnitude scale and occurred at a depth of 17.4 km (10.8 mi).

The earthquake was caused by movement on a previously unknown south-dipping fault, trending parallel to the inferred rift structures.

The full rupture also extended through the cities of Bhuj and Rapar, although slip in these areas was extremely minor.

[4] It also registered X (Devastating) on the Medvedev–Sponheuer–Karnik scale, with the maximum intensity observed over an east-northeast elongated zone of approximately 2,100 km2 (810 sq mi); much of Gujarat recorded tremors of VII (Very Strong) or higher.

[16] The largest aftershock occurred on 28 January, had a magnitude of Mwc 5.8 and was located 15 km (9.3 mi) west-southwest of Rapar.

[21] Additionally, 166,836 injuries were recorded,[6] a total of 28 million people across Gujarat were affected, and 442 villages lost at least 70% of houses.

[4][30] At the Navlakhi, extensive subsidence caused the main access road and port to drop below sea level at high tide, preventing goods from being imported; lateral spreading caused a newly built reinforced concrete wharf to collapse into the sea.

[4] Ten people were killed and all 940 homes were badly damaged in Dhori village, including 914 which were completely razed by the quake, along with multiple health centers, schools, a water tower, the mosque and three Hindu temples.

[37] Liquefaction from the earthquake resulted in sugarcane farms being flooded, affecting crops in the village of Kadhan.

The policy proposed a different approach to urban and rural construction with the estimated cost of rebuilding to be US$1.77 billion.

[41] The plan focused on creating a wider roadway network to provide emergency access to the city.

[41] The Government of Gujarat created four assistance packages worth up to US$1 billion to support the reconstruction and rehabilitation of the city.

Vietnam Saudi Arabia Smritivan, a memorial park and museum dedicated to victims of the earthquake was built on top of Bhujia Hill in Bhuj, Kutch and opened in 2022.

Spread over an area of 470 acres, it has more than 13,805 trees, each dedicated to a victim, planted in the garden and 108 small water reservoirs created on the hill.

[44][45][46] Veer Balak Smarak in Anjar is a memorial dedicated to 185 school children and 20 teachers who died during the earthquake.